1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of refrigerators and, more particularly, to a refrigerator cabinet having an enlarged open frontal zone in order to enhance access to within a compartment of the refrigerator cabinet.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Various different types of refrigerators are available on the market today. For example, a common type of refrigerator is generally referred to as a top mount style which incorporates an upper freezer compartment separated from a lower fresh food compartment by a mullion area. Each of the compartments in a top mount refrigerator can be accessed by pivoting a door which is hinged about a generally vertical axis at one side edge portion of a cabinet of the refrigerator. The cabinet of the refrigerator includes side panels which have substantially equal fore-toaft associated dimensions such that the open frontal zone associated with each of the compartments of the refrigerator generally extends in a single vertical plane. In order to seal the opening, the associated door is generally constituted by a planar member.
Although such a conventional refrigerator arrangement is considered to provide ample access to within the respective compartments in order to store or retrieve food items chilled with the refrigerator, there is still a need in the art for a refrigerator which includes an enlarged open frontal zone in order to enhance the accessibility of food items stored in the refrigerator.